[Acetylsalicylic acid effectively blocks the activation of platelets, and becomes a basic element of antithrombotic therapy of patients with high cardiovascular risk. Decrease of platelet reactivity is due to the irreversible inhibition of COX- 1 isoenzime in platelets during treatment. Choosing the right dose is still not an easy task. Bleeding side effects are frequently seen in patients treated with this drug worldwide. Clinical benefit does not improves with escalated doses (300 mg), however the risk of haemorrhagic events increases. Therefore acetylsalicylic acid dose should be reduced to the effective minimal dose (75-150 mg daily) after the acute phase of atherothrombosis in order to prevent side effects. Effect of acetylsalicylic acid differs individually, it might be important screening out those patients who respond less to the drug. Resistance is still an evolving field, proper methodology is to be determined. Right indications of acetylsalicylic acid needs balance between reaching clinical benefit and avoiding side effects. The Hungarian Cardiovascular Therapeutic Consensus Conference 2009 suggested acetylsalicylic acid in primary prevention for those males only, who have overt cardiovascular risk, and SCORE result is more than 10%, with no gastrointestinal haemorrhage in medical history, and with a well-controlled hypertension. Lifelong aspirin prevention should be used after all diagnosed cardiovascular atherothrombotic event as a cornerstone of secondary prevention with low dose (75-150 mg daily) in both genders.]

[The acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) is one of the oldest and most widely used drugs in the world. Currently, it is the most commonly used for the treatment and prophylaxis of cardiovascular diseases. Today, there has been consensus that the risk of ASA’s side effects in primary prevention is greater than the expected benefits. However, it maintains its leading role in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases. There is also a consensus that small doses are recommended for preventive purposes, but there is no agreement whether it should be 75 or 81 or 100 mg. The authors summa­rize the publications published in this topic. ]

[Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are among the most widely used drugs worldwide. Gastroduodenal ulcers are found at endoscopy in 15 to 30% of patients who use NSAIDs regularly. The annual incidence of severe upper gastrointestinal complications such as bleeding or perforation is 1.0 to 1.5%. From a cost-benefit perspective, prevention strategies should consider both gastrointestinal, and recently, cardiovascular risk factors. No prophylaxis is necessary with low gastrointestinal risk. There are currently four possible strategies to reduce the risk of adverse gastrointestinal effects: 1. the use of selective COX-2 inhibitors or coxibs rather than traditional NSAIDs; 2. cotherapy, primarily with proton pump inhibitors, to ensure protection to gastric mucous membrane; 3. co-therapy with a coxib and a proton pump inhibitor in patients with very high risk (eg., history of bleeding); 4. eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection in patients with a history of ulcer. The use of coxibs decrease the risk of gastrointestinal damage by roughly 50%. In the presence of gastrointestinal risk factors or for patients on aspirin also treated with an NSAID or a coxib, protection with a proton pump inhibitor is recommended. Proton pump inhibitor therapy is also useful for the prevention and treatment of NSAID-induced dyspepsia. The beneficial effects of proton pump inhibitors cannot solely be explained by their profound antisecretory action. Therefore, several acid secretion- independent mechanisms of action have been proposed.]

[INTRODUCTION - In the past few years, a number of studies have been published about acetylsalicylic acid resistance and its potential clinical consequences. PATIENTS AND METHODS - 281 patients with chronic cerebrovascular disease have been involved in our study. The patients were divided in two groups on the basis of their optical aggregometer results (acetylsalicylic acid responder vs. resistant). We compared the risk profiles, drug therapies, laboratory parameters and clinical outcomes of the two groups. RESULTS - Acetylsalicylic acid resistant patients were more likely to be women [23 (45.1%) vs. 92 (40%) (p<0.05)], to smoke (38% vs. 25%), have hypertension (92 vs. 78%), hypercholesterolaemia (5.69 vs. 4.85 mmol/l), and elevated LDL-levels (3.71 vs. 2.85 mmol/l), triglyceride levels (2.78 vs. 1.97 mmol/l) and hsCRP levels (17.89 vs. 7.09 mmol/l) (p<0.01). The use of statins was more frequent (56% vs. 36%) in the responder group (p<0.01). Platelet aggregation values (triggered by agonists) were significantly correlated with cholesterol, LDL, triglyceride and hsCRP levels (p<0.05). Adverse outcomes were reached in 13 (25.5%) acetylsalicylic acid nonresponders and 32 (13.9%) acetylsalicylic acid responder patients (p<0.01). In a multivariate analysis, however, only smoking (OR: 2.38, CI: 1.77-5.44) and increased LDL (OR: 3.01, CI: 2.34-5.67) and hsCRP levels (OR: 2.44, CI: 1.55-7.02) (p<0.05) were independent risk factors of adverse vascular outcomes. CONCLUSION - On the basis of our results, acetylsalicylic acid resistance was associated with a worse clinical outcome, but it was not an independent risk factor of future ischaemic events. Our results implicate that inappropriate prevention therapy might have a role in this phenomenon.]

[Intermittent claudication is a typical symptom of lower extremity arterial disease. Cilostazol is a reversible, selective phosphodiesterase-3 inhibitor which has antiplatelet, antithrombotic and vasodilator effects. It is indicated to improve maximal and pain-free walking distance in patients with intermittent claudication in the absence of rest pain or peripheral tissue necrosis. It can be beneficial in diabetic patiens with intermittent claudication, as it has been proved to prevent the development of foot ulcers. In combination with acetyl-salicylic acid it may help maintain stent patency after endovascular intervention and stent implantation. Cilostazol is contraindicated in heart failure. With cilostazol, a clinically proven effective drug has become available in the treatment of intermittent claudication which could improve walking and life quality of patients.]